On Wednesday, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank traveled to New Jersey where she met with local business leaders for discussions about ongoing efforts to rebuild the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. During these conversations, she conveyed that the Commerce Department, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the administration are focused on providing businesses and communities affected by Hurricane Sandy with all available federal support.

In Elizabeth, New Jersey, Acting Secretary Blank met with a group of businesses that were impacted by the storm. Dr. Blank then visited the Port of Newark in Port Newark, New Jersey, where she was briefed by officials on the status of port operations and the challenges moving forward. She heard from some of the port’s tenants, trucking companies, and freight mobility experts about the impact that the storm has had on their businesses, customers, and employees. Dr. Blank then took a tour of the port to observe the progress of recovery work that is currently underway.

I was honored to be in the meeting with Dr. Blank and her staff. It was a very productive meeting. It was great to see first hand their motivation. The information provided during the meeting about resources & help available to the business afected is of great value! We appreciate Dr. Blank & her staff efforts.

This storm really hurt small businesses in the area. Glad to see the dept of commerce tryignt o find ways to help out and get some of the affected businesses back up and running as soon as possible or the area many lose a lot of needed small businesses.
It is also nice to see the SBA stepping up with great small business loan programs for those businesses.
Now, it is up to these business owners to rebuild. best of luck!